Local author Mai Kim Le has put her challenging and inspiring life story on the pages in her first book, “Worlds Apart: My Personal Life Journey through Transcultural Poverty, Privilege, and Passion.” The memoir debuted on September 15 and is currently available for in-store purchase at Brookline Booksmith.
“I talk about my own mental health, my struggle as a mom, as an entrepreneur, as a refugee, as a person of color, a woman of color,” says Le. “We need to talk about it. We can’t hide and pretend everything is perfect.”
Every step of the journey writing this book was deeply personal for Le. After years of struggling to connect with her daughter, who was raised in the United States, Le wrote “Worlds Apart” in large part to reveal her inner self to her child.
“One way for me to speak to her was to write and to show why I’m this way, why my love language is different,” says Le. “Before I published it, she had to be the one to approve it.” Writing the book came naturally for Le, who has long wanted to put pen to paper telling her story. The more challenging piece was making sure the people in her life felt comfortable with the content.
“It’s not in Asian culture, especially Vietnamese culture…we don’t share our struggles, we don’t share our past,” says Le. “We’re supposed to be silent and just move on.” Le had to take out pieces of the book that her loved ones weren’t comfortable having shared. It was a difficult balance to achieve while maintaining her authenticity as an author.
Le was torn from her homeland of Vietnam as a child and brought to the United States as a refugee. As “Worlds Apart” delves into, she struggled to assimilate to the new culture and still carries the weight of that transition with her. Now, Le hopes to help other refugees adjust to the United States more smoothly. She’s currently working with several local organizations to help Afghan and Haitian refugees adapt to the new culture in the Boston area. By preparing apartments, supplying cell phones and home goods, and fundraising for these families, Le provides resources to refugees that she wasn’t fortunate enough to have.
After 14 years living in Brookline with her husband and three children, Le has developed strong bonds with the community. She says she’s received much moving feedback about “Worlds Apart” from local readers.
Above all, Le hopes her book breaks down barriers between people. She says, “One of the biggest themes is that I want people to know, regardless of where you are from, where you are and whether you’re poor, rich, Republican or a Democrat, whether you’re from Kenya or America, we have similar anxieties and struggles and pain that can really help us connect.”
